THE Challenge Cup final is always regarded as a family day out – and it is no different for Giants play-maker Liam Fulton.

While his family have travelled 12,000 miles, as have the friends and relatives of many of the Giants overseas players, he is just hoping he can ensure it is a good day out for them at Wembley on Saturday.

But the Giants most recent recruit from down under – who would clearly rather have been on the other side of Manchester on Monday as he did his duty for the Giants at the Carnegie Challenge Cup press conference while his grandad, parents and fiance Stacey were arriving at the airport on the south side of the city – knows he will be trying to pick his family out in a crowd of up to 90,000.

“Playing in the semi-final at Warrington against St Helens I just couldn’t believe it,” said the 24-year-old, who was recruited from West Tigers earlier this season.

“They said that there were just over 10,000 at the game, but to me it sounded like 50,000.

“So I honestly can’t wait to get to Wembley and I am just wondering what the noise is going to be like.

“It’s possible the players might not be able to hear each other on the pitch.”

To be on that pitch in north London is a big plus for Fulton, whose Giants career got off to something of a false start.

Having signed from Wests he was denied the chance to make an immediate impact as a knee injury – sustained in only his second game for the club against Hull KR on Easter Monday – stole seven weeks of the season from him.

“To be honest, the first two months I was here were a little difficult due to the injury,” he said.

“Because of that I didn’t have too much to do with the run to the cup final, missing games like the match against Castleford along the way.”

But having got back into fitness and form, Fulton played a full part in taking the Giants to rugby league’s showpiece with a kicking game that hurt St Helens at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

And he is confident that past experience will mean he is able to produce the same kind of performance – including those trademark incendiary high bombs that unsettled the Saints defence so much – on the big stage.

“I’ve played a lot of semi-finals and some finals and I don’t tend to get too nervous,” said Fulton.

“I find that it is easier to soak up everything around the game and try and go out there and enjoy it.

“I think that is the way you get the best out of yourself and hopefully if the Giants can do that then we will be bringing the cup home.

“Nathan (Brown) has told us to go out there and enjoy the occasion, and that’s what we fully intend to do.”